For the past four decades, the United States has recognized October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is a time devoted to educating everyone about breast cancer, including metastatic breast cancer (MBC), and to reinforcing the importance of early detection and access to timely, high quality care.
No matter who you are or where you live, breast cancer is likely to touch your life.
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women worldwide, with about 2.3 million new cases each year. It accounts for roughly one in eight cancer cases overall and about a quarter of all cancers in women.
- About one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. On average a woman is diagnosed every two minutes.
- The two most common risk factors for breast cancer are being born female and getting older.
- The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2026 about 42,140 women and 530 men in the U.S. will die from breast cancer.
- Black women in the U.S. remain about 37 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, a gap driven largely by inequities in access to screening and treatment. Mortality rates have also stayed flat for American Indian and Alaska Native women over the past three decades even as rates have fallen for other groups.
There is real reason for hope too. Female breast cancer death rates have fallen 44 percent since they peaked in 1989, a decline that has meant roughly 546,000 lives saved. Researchers credit about three quarters of that progress to better treatment and the rest to earlier detection through screening.
These are the reasons why it is so important to understand the warning signs of breast cancer, know your risk and know what is normal for you so you can take action if anything changes in your breasts or underarm areas.
The UW Combined Fund Drive encourages you to take action on breast cancer this month, both for yourself and for others.
Take care of yourself
Know your risk. Understand the genetic and physical risk factors of breast cancer. Talk to a doctor about your family history and how it may affect your risk. You and your provider can build a personalized plan to monitor for signs of the disease.
Get screened. For those at average risk, get a mammogram every year starting at age 40. Regular screening is linked to a meaningfully lower risk of dying from breast cancer, and finding it early gives treatment the best chance to work.
Know your normal. It is important to know what is normal for you so you can speak up if something does not look or feel right.
Make healthy lifestyle choices. Living a healthy lifestyle is within your control and may lower your risk. Maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol intake and staying active all matter for your overall health and your risk of disease.
What is new in breast cancer research
Science keeps moving and 2026 has brought some genuinely encouraging progress:
- Antibody drug conjugates, which pair a targeted antibody with chemotherapy to deliver treatment more precisely while sparing healthy cells, continue to expand treatment options, especially for hard to treat cancers.
- New targeted therapies approved or advancing this year are giving people with certain types of metastatic breast cancer more options once earlier treatments stop working.
- Some patients with high-risk cancers may now be able to skip chemotherapy altogether based on genomic testing, sparing them from side effects without sacrificing outcomes.
- Early research into individualized mRNA vaccines for triple negative breast cancer has shown durable immune responses years after surgery, a promising early step toward prevention of recurrence.
- Liquid biopsies that track tumor DNA in the blood are helping doctors monitor how well a treatment is working in real time and adjust care sooner.
Get more information
UW Medicine provides screenings and personalized treatment plans, plus a wealth of information on breast health, screening, risk factors, warning signs and treatment options.
Right as Rain by UW Medicine offers informative articles featuring UW experts and the latest research on breast cancer.
Fred Hutch Cancer Center provides screenings and treatment at a world class research institution, along with information on breast cancer and treatment.
Komen Breast Care Helpline is a free resource staffed by specialists and oncology social workers who offer emotional support and guidance to resources including financial assistance and access to screening and diagnostic services.
National Breast Cancer Foundation supports breast cancer research and education, with a wealth of information on early detection, diagnosis, stages and types of breast cancer, treatment, myths and education guides.
Take care of others
There are many ways you can join the fight against breast cancer. Please consider making a one-time gift or setting up a monthly payroll deduction through the UWCFD to support one of our member organizations providing care and supporting research to develop more effective prevention and treatments of breast cancer.
Your Gift Makes a Difference.